Trump and his allies have been extremely effective at changing the meaning of words in the minds of their supporters. Thus, for example, "fake" news came to define any news from sources other than Fox News, Trump, and his allies. While just the opposite was in fact true. The fake news is what came out of their mouths. The other news was the truth.
The same is true for the way RINO has been applied. It has become the epithet for any Republican who disagrees with the Trump mantra.
In fact, it is Trump and his allies who are truly RINOs – Republicans in name only. Because what they stand for is not an expression or outgrowth of the traditional policy positions of the Republican Party nor what the Party has stood for during its history.
The question that every American must ask is, how has Trump been able to so successfully manipulate the minds and hearts of the Republican base. And we're talking not just die-hard Trump supporters, but almost the entire Republican voting base, as has been shown in recent polls regarding the "truth' of the stolen election claim.
There are multiple reasons. But two predominate. The first is that a large block of these voters, formerly Democratic working class voters, carried huge grievances against the Democratic Party because they felt the Party had failed them and was more concerned with the plight of Blacks. And so when Trump came and vociferously championed their cause, they supported him and continue to do so, even though he has not improved their lives in any way and actually has often acted in ways contrary to their interests.
Second, the existence of Fox News and right-wing alternative media sources. Before the advent of cable TV and the internet, everyone in the country got their national news from the Big 3 networks, which were solidly middle-of-the-road, nonpartisan, in their approach to the news. The national nightly news anchors were respected by a broad spectrum of Americans. Someone like Trump with fringe ideas could yell and scream all they wanted, but no one would hear them because their voice wasn't amplified by news coverage.
Now, everyone watches the news that fits their beliefs. And so Republicans watch Fox News and those on the far right have their internet outlets that fan their beliefs. These media not only amplify the voice of Trump and his allies, but they give them credibility by mouthing their positions as their own. The combination of their faith in Trump and their faith in their chosen media outlet makes the "fake" news phenomenon possible.
Trump once said that he could shoot someone in the middle of 5th Avenue and he wouldn't loose any voters. That is not only probably true but it shows how far the brainwashing of Republicans has gone and that Trump is well aware of his power.
There is nothing that I can imagine happening that will shake the trust of the vast majority of Republicans in Trump and his allies. Even after Germany's loss in WWII, most Germans did not renounce their faith in Hitler. They did not turn on him. I fear the attachment of most Republicans to Trump lies in this same vein and they will never abandon him.
